


The Curse of the Smurfwolf, Part I

by Michael_Demos



Series: The Smurfwolf Stories [1]
Category: Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-02 18:50:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21166355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michael_Demos/pseuds/Michael_Demos
Summary: Gutsy gets turned into a Smurfwolf just in time for Halloween.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Per usual, I used Version M.

Narrator clears his throat, gazing at you from his seat across the fire. “If everysmurf will please be quiet,” he says coolly, glancing around, “then I can begin.” Once the chattering has stopped, the Smurf in the blue turtleneck smiles patiently. “Thank you.” He turns to you again. “Now, here is a story that is unlike any you have ever heard, dear guest. It is a true story too-“

”Oh, get on with it,” a voice from behind you calls. As Narrator glares, you twist around to look at the speaker, but see only Jokey sniggering.

”_Thank _you,” the Smurf sighs. Leaning over the fire, he begins.

”It was a few days before Halloween in the village of the Smurfs, and everysmurf was doing their best to prepare. Greedy had established a team of volunteers to help him make spooky sweets for the holiday, and had even let a few taste-test with him. Naturally, this meant that the Smurfs had to work twice as hard to make up for all the candy they’d eaten. Tailor had his work cut out for him, even with Handy’s machines to help him. Clumsy offered to help, and when Tailor let him, Clumsy did his best- although there were some minor setbacks. Handy and Planner were in charge of general decorations, although everysmurf was given the chance to decorate their house.

What about me, you ask? Well, my friend, I was doing what I always do around this time of year- preparing my best, most gleefully horrifying stories to tell after dark, when the moon is hiding behind the clouds and even the lamplight seems dim… oh, right. Sorry.

Tuffy always tried to create the scariest decorations for his mushroom house, with the result that several Smurfs gave his house a wide berth, especially Scaredy. Every year, Scaredy tried his best to have fun, and every year, he would collect sweets from the different houses, but every year he would inevitably get too afraid, and scurry back to his own home to hide. However, this year held a particularly fear-inducing Halloween night, for this is the tale of…

_ The Curse of the Smurfwolf!!!” _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Per usual, I used Version M.

Narrator looks up as a smurf in a green sleeveless hoodie approaches, pulling a wagon full of steaming mugs. “Ah, here’s Coffee with the hot chocolate,” he says. He smiles at you. “You should try some.” As the Smurfs rush forward to get some, he reaches over to grab two mugs.

“Here you go, friend,” he says, walking over and handing you the drink. You gladly take the mug, enjoying the warmth as Narrator returns to his seat.

Once everysmurf has their hot chocolate, Narrator continues his tale.

“You know, the house-decorating contest we have every year never starts out as a contest,” he tells the group. “It begins as harmless fun, a way to show your Halloween spirit. However, some Smurf’s are quite a bit more competitive than others.” He chuckles, gazing pointedly at Tuffy and Gutsy. “Every year, Tuffy decides to show us that he’s not afraid. He does this by putting up the scariest decorations he can think of- and Gutsy takes this as a challenge. Every year, it ends up as a contest, with the winner getting an entire cake, courtesy of Greedy.”

The Smurf in question stands up, bowing in acknowledgment. “He bakes a different one every year,” Clumsy whispers to you. “They’re always really smurfy!”

“That year was a bit different,” continues Narrator. “As the years dragged on, the decorations got scarier and scarier. Gutsy, being the big-hearted Smurf that he is, noticed the negative effect that the contest was having on Scaredy, and let Tuffy win. Tuffy, naturally, bragged all around the village about his defeat of Gutsy, but Gutsy waved it off, instead going in search of Scaredy.

Poor Scaredy had shut himself inside his house again. The decorations always proved to be too much, no matter how hard he tried to enjoy the festivities, so every year he would hide inside with a mug of hot chocolate, some candy, and a book or two.

Gutsy knocked on the door. There was a yelp and a crash, then an anxious face appeared at the window. Scaredy blinked at Gutsy, then vanished. There was a scraping sound, then the door opened, showing Gutsy the nervous Smurf- and a shattered mug.

”Let me in, lad,” Gutsy said. (Narrator imitates Gutsy’s voice.) “I’ll help ye clean up, then we can talk.”

Scaredy nodded, relaxing a bit. “Okay,” he said, stepping aside. Once his friend had entered, Scaredy quickly shut the door, shoving a chair under the doorknob. He then went to get a towel for the spilled drink while Gutsy swept up the ceramic. He recognized Potter’s work, and made a mental note to replace it for Scaredy.

Once this was done, Gutsy and Scaredy sat down at the small, circular table. “Wh-what did you want to talk about?” Scaredy asked, getting nervous again.

”Just you,” Gutsy said. “I worry, y’know. Ye hide away from everysmurf, and nosmurf sees hide not hair o’ ye til the morning. There’s nothing to be afraid of, even on Halloween.”

”Yes there is,” Scaredy said, fidgeting. “Spiders, and bats, and goblins, and bears, and ghosts, and-“

Gutsy chuckled. “No, lad, there’s nothing to be scared about!” He stood, pulling Scaredy to his feet, and led him to the window. “What do ye see?”

Scaredy peeked our. “I see the scary decorations everysmurf’s putting up,” he said.

Gutsy wrapped an arm around the younger Smurf. “Now, do ye know what I see? I see several caring Smurfs that all love Halloween, and love to scare and be scared.”

”They love to be scared?!” Scaredy asked, shocked. He shuddered. “That doesn’t sound smurfy.”

Gutsy shrugged. “Come on, I’ll show ye something.”

* * *

Scaredy followed Gutsy past the row of mushrooms, staying close. “Where are we g-going?” He asked, trying to stay calm.

”Out there,” Gutsy told him, pointing to the forest.

Eyes suddenly wide, Scaredy stopped walking. “Out _there?! _But- but it’s almost dark!!”

Gutsy just smiled, and guided Scaredy along. “Well, what I have to show ye is all the more special in the shadows.”

Scaredy knew that Gutsy would never intentionally scare him, but he did get scared easily. Then again, if he was with Gutsy, what could happen? He began to feel a bit better as they entered the forest. Neither one was aware that Scaredy would be the only Smurf returning that night.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Per usual, I used Version M.

Narrator finishes his hot chocolate and sets the mug down. “Thank you, Coffee,” he tells the Smurf, who grins proudly. “No problem, Narrator,” Coffee replies, taking the mug and putting it back into the wagon. As he goes around collecting empty mugs from the Smurfs who are finished, Narrator continues.

“Scaredy followed Gutsy into the forest, which was shadowy with the light of the setting sun. Scaredy was trying not to be scared, and for the most part, it was working. Gutsy was humming to himself as he led the younger Smurf along, and it was a few minutes before they stopped in front of a tall pine tree.

“Come on, laddie,” Gutsy said, and began to climb.

Scaredy stayed where he was. “But… what if I fall? What if  _ you _ fall? What if  _ the tree _ falls?!!”

Gutsy smiled. “Stop worrying,” he said. “I’m here, ye won’t get hurt.”

Scaredy wasn’t exactly reassured, but he could see light near the top of the tree. It was getting dark down here, and right now, high places were better than the dark. He began to climb.

When they reached a wide limb about halfway up, Gutsy helped Scaredy sit beside him. They were over the treetops now, and Scaredy could see for miles.

“Whoooooaaa,” he breathed, eyes shining.

“See?” Gutsy said with a grin. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I come here a lot nowadays, jus’ to get away from all the hubbub.”

Scaredy wasn’t paying much attention to him. The view was so beautiful that he’d almost forgotten to be scared… at least until he saw the treetops rustle ominously below him.

“Wh-what was that?!” He gasped, clinging to Gutsy. Gutsy disentangled himself and moved to the edge of the branch, listening. He heard muffled voices- no, one voice- a familiar voice. His expression darkened, and he turned to Scaredy. “We have to go, now. It’s Gargamel.”

(At the mention of the name, the eagerly listening Smurfs shudder and look around fearfully. When you ask Narrator about it, he smiles. “Gargamel… oh, what a terrible plague on our existence. That wizard and his awful cat try time and time again to capture us, destroy us, or eat us. They’re rarely successful, though, thanks to the magic of Papa Smurf.”

You look over at the white-bearded Smurf, who simply chuckles. “Go on, Narrator,” he says.)

The two Smurfs climbed down through the branches, sneaking around Gargamel and his ever-hungry cat Azrael. Once they were far enough away, Gutsy made his mistake- he relaxed.

“Scaredy looked around fearfully. “Do you think he saw us?” He whispered to Gutsy. Gutsy shook his head. “No, we stayed in the bushes, didn’t we? We’re safe.”

(“You should never, ever say that,” Brainy tells you. “That’s just asking for trouble.”

“He’s right,” Narrator says. “Especially in scary stories. Now, where was I…”)

At that moment, a fearsome yowl rang out from behind them. “A-a-azrael!!” Scaredy broke into a panicked run, Gutsy close behind, but as the orange cat pounced, Gutsy pulled the other Smurf backwards. The cat’s paws slammed into the ground where Scaredy had been not a moment before, and they turned to run away, but-

“Gargamel!!” Scaredy gasped, hiding behind Gutsy.

“Oh, Azrael, look!” The wizard delighted in the Smurfs’ fear. “Two itty bitty blue freaks- exactly what I’ve been looking for!” He pulled a scroll out of his sleeve and began to read what was written.

While Gargamel was distracted, Gutsy whispered to Scaredy, “when I say go, run. Do  _ not  _ look back, or turn back, do ye understand?”

Scaredy nodded. “But what about you?”

“Don’ worry about me,” Gutsy told him. Just…  _ GO!! _ ”

Scaredy took off running, and Azrael gave chase, but Gutsy lunged and yanked on her tail. Outraged, she whirled around, accidentally headbutting Gargamel, who at that moment finished his spell. A bolt of blue light shot from his outstretched finger.

Gutsy’s eyes widened. It was heading right for Scaredy!! He took off in a sprint, dodging Azrael’s paw and racing the bolt of magic… closer and closer… almost-

“Move!!” He shouted, tackling Scaredy to the ground. He felt an impact, like a sudden shove, as the blast hit him, and he rolled away, dizzy.

Scaredy ran over to Gutsy just as the other Smurf sat up. “Come on,” Gutsy said, shaking off the dizziness. “This way!” He got up, taking Scaredy by the hand, and dove into a hollow log as Azrael and Gargamel passed by. Once they were gone, Gutsy led Scaredy in the opposite direction, heading for the Great Oak, and home.

However, before they could even see the Great Oak, the sun went down. This wouldn’t have been much of a problem, except that Gutsy suddenly stopped. He fell to his knees, his hand slipping away from Scaredy’s.

“Run-“ he ground out as Scaredy bent to help him up. “Run- now-!!”

Neither of them knew what was happening. Gutsy’s instincts told him that it was very bad, but as his body shook and blue fur began to sprout, all he could do was tell Scaredy to run.

The transformation was quick and complete- the newly formed Smurfwolf even had a tail!

Scaredy cautiously reached out for Gutsy’s fluffy shoulder. “G-gutsy?” He stammered.

The Smurfwolf’s head snapped up, fangs bared and yellow eyes narrowed. It growled at Scaredy, who, in the middle of his terror, noticed that at least it still had Gutsy’s kilt and hat on- although they were a bit ripped, as the Smurfwolf was a full apple taller than the original Gutsy had been.

Scaredy backed up, breathing fast, then as the Smurfwolf’s stare got to be too much, he turned and fled. He could hear the Smurfwolf’s pounding feet, slightly louder than his own, but kept running. Who knew what might happen if he stopped?

(At this point, Narrator stops his story, looking around at his captive audience to see their reaction. The facial expressions range from feigned boredom (Grouchy and Tuffy) to excitement (most of the Smurfs) to barely concealed fear (the Smurflings, Clumsy and Brainy.) Noticing your reaction, Narrator smiles and continues.)

Somehow, Scaredy reached the village without being caught. He barreled into Hefty and Brainy just outside the village limits, knocking them over.

“Help!!” He cried out. “Gutsy- in the woods- a m-m-monster-“ Poor Scaredy could barely get the words out.

Hefty and Brainy picked themselves up and looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Gutsy had taken Scaredy for a walk about an hour ago, and Scaredy, panicked, had come back alone. Now, while a panicky Scaredy wasn’t too unusual, for him to come back without one of the toughest Smurfs in the village was- to put it simply- worrisome.

Hefty looked out into the dark forest. He saw nothing, then as he walked forward, he was bowled over a second time by something big, blue, and furry.

Scaredy shrieked and dove inside the nearest mushroom.

Thinking fast, Hefty flipped over and grabbed the whatever-it-was around the waist. It was strong- stronger than him. That scared him. He couldn’t do this alone.

“Brainy, get help!!”

Hefty hung on for dear life as the wolffish monster twisted and wriggled, then he was forcibly flung away by a heavy kick.

“Look out!” Hefty shouted, leaping to his feet. He grinned as he saw the backup Brainy had brought- Handy and Tuffy. Hefty joined his friends, and the wolf monster backed away. Maybe it was afraid?

Hefty, Handy, and Tuffy shouted, raising their arms to make themselves look bigger, and eventually the wolf monster fled.

The next morning found Gutsy deep in the woods. As he opened his eyes, he remembered the previous evening, and shot to his feet, looking about for any sign of Gargamel or Azrael- or Scaredy. He hadn’t been looking for very long when he came to the River Smurf. Glancing down, he took a step back in surprise.

“Eesh, don’t I look smurf-awful,” Gutsy muttered. His hat was on crooked, his sideburns were in disarray, and his kilt was torn and scraped. He even had some scratches on his body. “Did Azrael get the better of me?” Gutsy wondered. He sighed. “I’d better get back…. smurfs alive, Tailor’s gonna have a fit.”


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost noon when Gutsy limped into the village. He was immediately swarmed by a large number of very concerned Smurfs.

“Oh no, what happened?!”

“My _ smurfness, _ Gutsy, you look simply _ awful! _”

“Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf! He’s back!!”

“What in the name of Smurf did you do to yourself?! You’re covered in scrapes and scratches!!”

“Let me through- let me _ through _ \- great Smurf, look at your _ clothes _!!!”

Gutsy winced at Tailor’s outraged shriek. Before he could answer, he felt himself being pulled in two directions, by both Tailor and Nurse.

“Hey-“ he protested, but it seemed nobody was listening.

“He’s got scratches and bruises all over his body, Tailor!” Nurse snapped. “He needs medical attention immediately!”

“Yes, yes,” replied Tailor in agitation, “but just look at the state of his _ clothes!! _ Do you think that can wait?!!”

Gutsy pulled himself away from the two frantic Smurfs. “Relax,” he told them. “I’m fine, okay? Everything’s just smurfy-“ he broke off as his stomach gave out a loud gurgle. “Well, okay. I guess I could use some food-“

“-and a change of clothes-“

“_ -and _ some bandages!!”

* * *

That evening found Gutsy avoiding Tailor. He’d gone to his mushroom and changed into a new kilt, and sent Smurfette to Tailor with the tattered one. Gutsy was afraid of very little, but the other Smurf was fanatical about the state of his work. He could be nearly as pushy as Nurse sometimes.

He was sitting on a log bench near the river with Scaredy and Lazy, watching the sun go down- well, Scaredy and Gutsy were, at least. Lazy had nodded off as soon as he could. Scaredy had almost forgotten about the previous night’s scare, and was enjoying himself. There was nothing scary about the setting sun, right?

Wrong.

The sun set without incident, or so it seemed at first, but then Scaredy looked over at Gutsy. “Gutsy, are you okay?” He asked. His friend didn’t look okay to him- he was shaking all over, and his fists were clenched. Scaredy scooted away as he heard a low growl coming from Gutsy. “G-gutsy?!”

Gutsy tilted forward off of the bench, landing on his hands and knees. He had a tail again, and his back was covered in thick blue fur. Scaredy yelped and fell backwards, accidentally pulling Lazy off as well.

Lazy woke up, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Is it bedtime already,” he murmured. He gazed at Gutsy- now sniffing around on all fours- and looked at Scaredy. “What’s going on?”

Scaredy, trembling, pointed a shaky finger at the wolfish Smurf. “M-m-monster!!”

Lazy froze. “Hey, is that Gutsy?!”

At Lazy’s voice, the wolfish monster turned its head and glared at them. Scaredy hugged Lazy tightly. “It’s gonna eat us!!”

However, the Smurfwolf didn’t attack. It stared at the both of them for a moment, then leapt over the river and fled into the woods.

* * *

”It was a monster,” Lazy said. “I saw it!”

Brainy rolled his eyes. “Lazy, Lazy, Lazy! Go away, and bother somesmurf else with your bad dreams.”

”But Brainy,” Lazy started, “it wasn’t a dream!” Brainy wasn’t listening. Lazy turned to Dreamy. “You believe me, right?”

Dreamy shook his head. “Sorry, Lazy. Monsters don’t exist.”

”Scaredy saw it too,” protested Lazy.

”Oh, Lazy,” scolded Smurfette. “You should know better than to tell your bad dreams to Scaredy!”

”But I-“ Lazy sighed. Nobody was listening to him...

* * *

The next night, Gutsy left the village yet again, covered in fur and fangs. Lazy again pleaded with his fellow Smurfs to believe him, but to no avail. Finally, he asked Hefty and Handy, “will you at least come over for hot chocolate? Maybe if you see it, you’ll finally believe me.”

Handy looked at Hefty, raising an eyebrow. Hefty shrugged. “I don’t think your monster exists, Lazy- last night was probably just one of Jokey’s pranks- but we’ll come sit with you. Just in case.”

Lazy smiled. “Thank you,” he said.”

Narrator yawns. “It’s almost time for bed,” he says. “Should I stop here and finish tomorrow?”

There’s a resounding chorus of “no!!!” Narrator smiles and keeps talking.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hefty and Handy wanted to believe Lazy,” Narrator says, “but even after they and Tuffy had scared the monster away the first night, they knew how Lazy’s bad dreams got. Sometimes he confused them with reality- and when Scaredy heard about them, things just got worse. Jokey didn’t help matters by playing jokes on the two- although he was usually just trying to make them laugh.

Hefty and Handy approached Lazy and Scaredy, who were again sitting on the log bench by the river. “I’ve got the hot chocolate,” Handy called out. He and Hefty sat down next to the two, and waited. It wasn’t long before the sun went down.

“I don’t see anything,” Handy said to Hefty. “Do you?”

The tattooed Smurf shook his head. “Nothing. Sorry, Lazy, looks like Jokey’s stopped for now.”

“I know what I saw,” Lazy protested. “He was right over-  _ there _ !” He pointed across the river. The Smurfs squinted into the lengthening shadows, then Hefty shot to his feet. “I see it!!” He took off after the dim figure who was crouching on all fours near the edge of the woods. When he got to the river, he wasted no time in diving in, swimming across and continuing his chase. After a moment, Handy followed, taking the longer way around and using the bridge further downstream.

Scaredy looked helplessly at Lazy, who by this point had fallen asleep, then back at his friends- quickly disappearing into the forest- and made up his mind. “Wait for me,” he cried out, running after Handy. “Don’t leave me in the dark!!!”

Hefty was getting short of breath running after the wolf-Smurf. Smurfwolf? Well, if what Lazy had said was true, Gutsy had what Papa termed lycanthropy. Whatever it was, Hefty was having a hard time keeping up. When he was finally forced to stop for breath, he was joined by Handy, and, a short while later, Scaredy. The latter Smurf tumbled into Hefty, clinging to him.

“S-sorry,” he managed through his fear. “Wh-where’s Gutsy?”

Hefty took a deep breath, prying the Smurf off of him. “He’s headed in one direction, which is good,” he said. “The bad news is that he’s not stopping. At all.”

After he caught his breath, Handy remarked, “that’s good though. He’s going to get tired at some point, and that means we can get to him eas-“

“Shh!” Hefty slapped a hand over Handy’s mouth, silencing him. Scaredy didn’t need the same urging, and pressed himself closer to Hefty.

Suddenly, there was a terrifyingly loud roar, and Hefty was bowled over for the third time in a week. He quickly thrust upwards with his feet, hurling his assailant off, then as he was helped to his feet by Handy and Scaredy, he saw that, again, it was the Smurfwolf. “Gutsy?” He asked hesitantly, moving Scaredy and Handy behind him.

The Smurfwolf growled, padding forward on all fours. Hefty heard Scaredy mumble something, but couldn’t hear what it was. Hefty eyed the monster, noticing in surprise that it wore Gutsy’s kilt and hat. “It  _ is  _ Gutsy,” he whispered to himself.

However, it seemed like the Smurfwolf- Gutsy- was about to attack.

“Run,” Hefty told Handy. He seized Scaredy’s arm. “_Run_!!”


	6. Chapter 6

Hefty lunged to the left as Handy lunged right, and the Smurfwolf hit the space they had all just vacated. The Smurfs scattered, with Scaredy trying his best to both find his friends and avoid the transformed Gutsy- then he stepped on something that  _ snapped. _

With a gut-wrenching jerk, the Smurf was yanked upwards into the air, ending up suspended inside an iron cage hanging from a tree limb. “Help!!!” Scaredy yelled.

The two Smurfs came running. “Oh, no,” Hefty groaned. That was the last thing they needed; one of Gargamel’s traps. He walked towards the tree, calling up, “hang tight, little bro. I'll get you outta there before you can say smurf.” He stepped forward.

“Hefty- wait-!” Hefty let out a grunt as his best friend tackled him from behind, shoving him forward. The next moment, he was alone on the forest floor, with Handy swinging far above him in another cage. Hefty looked up as he got to his feet. “Um… give me just a minute.”

“You don’t have a minute,” Handy called down. “The Smurfwolf’s back!”

Hefty turned around just in time, diving to the side to avoid the charging beast. He heard a snap, and rolled to the side as another cage sprung up where he’d stood just a moment before. However, this distracted him, and the next thing he felt was the Smurfwolf’s paw slapping him away. He tumbled head over heels, finally slamming down at the base of the tree. As he struggled to get his breath back, he heard yet another snap-

and another-

and then both he and the Smurfwolf were dangling in cages alongside the others.”

Narrator pauses. “Well, here’s Coffee with more hot chocolate. While you get yourselves some, I’m going to see if I can get Greedy to hurry up with those Smurfberry Scones of his.” He stands up, stretching, and walks away towards the south end of the village.

After a few minutes, he returns, with Greedy in tow. Both are pulling wagons fully loaded with plates of steaming scones. Narrator and Hefty help Greedy pass out the food, and once every Smurf has a plate, Narrator sits back down and resumes the story.

“The Smurfwolf wasn’t very happy with being in a cage, and immediately started attacking the cage, clawing and biting at the bars. Hefty, Handy, and Scaredy did their best to escape as well, but even with Handy’s tools, their efforts were fruitless. Eventually, they all fell asleep.

* * *

Hefty woke up first, when the sun wasn’t too high in the sky- it seemed that they’d just missed breakfast- and immediately sat up, shouting to Handy and Scaredy. “Hey! Wake up, we have to get out of here!”

Handy yawned and stretched. Scaredy shot upright with a yelp.

“Gutsy!” Handy called over. The Smurfwolf in the final cage was a motionless blue lump. Handy tried again. “Gutsy, wake up! We have to get out of here before Gargamel comes!”

“That’s not Gutsy,” Hefty told Handy. “It can’t be Gutsy. There’s no such thing as- as Smurfs turning into…”

Hefty trailed off, open-mouthed, as the Smurfwolf shook. Its furry form trembled, shrinking, then the fur vanished to reveal the Scotsman Smurf.

Gutsy sat up dazedly, rubbing his head. “Whassgoinon…”

“Gutsy?!” Hefty asked, amazed. It was true! “Gutsy, snap out of it!”

Gutsy blinked, getting to his feet. He pulled on the bars to the cage, obviously confused. “Hefty? What… ugh, what happened last night?”

“You turned into a Smurfwolf,” Handy explained, and chased us into a few of Gargamel’s traps.” When he was met with a blank look, he sighed. “Scaredy, you were with him when this all started. What happened?”

“G-gargamel tried to smurf me with a sp-spell,” Scaredy said, shuddering at the memory. “Gutsy pushed me out of the way and-“ he swallowed hard. “It hit him instead.” Scaredy looked nervously at Gutsy. “Then the sun went down.”

Gutsy looked down at himself- fully Smurf again, but his recently repaired kilt and hat were in tatters again. “I’m never gonna hear the end of it from Tailor,” he moaned in despair. He shoved at the iron bars of his cage, but they didn’t move. Gutsy rested his head against the bars. “I’m really sorry,” he sighed. “Whatever happened, this is my fault.” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry I dragged all of ye into this mess.”


	7. Chapter 7

(At this point, Narrator notices that his audience is getting sleepy. “I would ask if you would like me to leave off here,” he begins, “but-“

There’s an instant uproar as the Smurfs object. Narrator winces, rubbing his ears. “-but you wouldn’t allow that, would you,” he says with a chuckle. “Well, all the same, I should probably hurry this up a bit.”)

Lazy had eventually gone back to his mushroom, and it was only when the next morning came that he found out that Handy, Hefty and Scaredy hadn’t returned. Yawning, the ever-sleepy Smurf entered the main part of the village to find a crowd of Smurfs gathered around Papa and Brainy.

“What’s going on?” Lazy asked Weepy.

“Hefty, Scaredy, and Handy disappeared last night,” Weepy sniffed, “and- and they’re still not back!!” He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes.

Lazy made his way to the front of the crowd. “Papa,” he called out, barely audible over the clamoring cries of the concerned Smurfs. “Papa-“

Giving up, he tugged on Harmony’s arm. “Can you get his attention please?” Harmony didn’t seem to hear Lazy’s soft voice, but, eager for a chance to play his trumpet, he blew a long blast.

_ Hooooooonk!!! _

The crowd immediately stopped talking, many of them holding their ears. Brainy glared at the grinning Smurf. “Really, Harmony,” he scolded. “Now is not the time for music, if you can even call that racket music!”

Lazy fought back another yawn and spoke up. “Handy and Hefty and Scaredy are in the forest!”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?!” Brainy said, wagging a finger at Lazy. “You shouldn’t sleep so much, it really-“

Papa shushed Brainy with a single look. “Go on, Lazy. Did you see them last night?”

Lazy nodded, trying not to nod off. “And-“ he yawned widely. “-and Gutsy too. He’s a wolf now.”

Papa frowned. “A wolf?”

“Mm-hmm,” Lazy confirmed. “He grew fur and got really big and ran off into the woods. Scaredy said Gargamel put a spell on Gutsy.”

Papa stroked his beard. “Gargamel? Hmm, I think I know what happened.” He thought of a moment, then ran towards his lab. After a few minutes he exited with a vial of a silvery white liquid. He shoved it under his hat, along with a small roll of bandages and a syringe, and surveyed the crowd. “Tracker, Tuffy, Thief and Samurai! Come on, we need to hurry! I’ll explain everything on the way!!”

It was well into the afternoon before Papa and the search party found the clearing with the cages. Upon seeing the captive Smurfs, Tuffy snarled in rage. “That wizard! I’ll smurf his lights out! I’ll feed him to his cat! I’ll- I’ll-“

Samurai placed a hand on the furious Smurf’s shoulder. “Tuffy. Calm yourself. This will not help free our friends.” Not waiting for a reply, he followed Papa, Thief and Tracker up the tree trunk, where Thief had passed out lockpicks. Papa and Thief were busy freeing Scaredy and Handy. Thief tossed Samurai a lockpick, then tossed one to Tuffy when he arrived.

“Thanks, Papa,” Handy said gratefully.

Scaredy didn’t say a word, just hugged Thief tightly.

Hefty thanked Samurai, and then leapt over to the cage where Gutsy was held. He began pulling at the lock, until Samurai unlocked it for him, then the two helped Gutsy up onto the branch.

Samurai helped Gutsy down from the tree. As the others joined them, Samurai inspected Gutsy. “You’re hurt.”

Gutsy waved the Smurf away. “Ah, I’m fine,” he said. He turned to approach Scaredy, but stumbled. Tracker moved forward just in time, catching him. “Papa, the bandages,” he called.

“I said I’m fine,” Gutsy protested.

“You are not,” said Samurai. “You have several scratches and bruises. That is not _ fine. _”

Papa started bandaging Gutsy’s more serious injuries. Once he was done, he withdrew the syringe from his hat. “This is the antidote to your lycanthropy,” he told Gutsy. “Stay still- I need to get this in your system before it’s-“

“Too late!!!”

The Smurfs looked up, Scaredy hiding behind Hefty and Handy. Papa glared at their surprise visitor. “Gargamel!”

The sorcerer cackled with evil glee. “In the flesh!! Imagine, Azrael,” he said, now addressing the cat who had just sat down beside him. “I came looking for just one Smurf, and I find him and eight more! We’ll have a full purse _ and _ full bellies tonight!!”

“Scatter!” Papa yelled, and eight of the nine Smurfs took off running. Hefty had to drag Tuffy away before he got himself into trouble.

The Smurfs were safely hidden in the bushes when Papa noticed that someone was missing. “Where’s Gutsy?!”

Gutsy was almost to the bush, but wasn’t as focused as usual, due to the threat of the sunset, now only a few moments away. Before he knew it, he had been swept up in a huge hand, and brought face-to-face with the wizard. The sun set and Gutsy again transformed.

The Smurfwolf growled at the wizard, baring his fangs, then sank them deep into Gargamel’s hand.

The sorcerer yelled, opening his hand and dropping the Smurfwolf, who bounded under the bushes. It was instantly seized by Tuffy and Hefty, and Papa injected the antidote as quickly as possible.

As Gutsy shrank, turning back into his old self, Papa looked out to see Azrael being chased by a very furry Gargamel.”

Narrator stops. You are the only one awake at this point- even Papa’s fallen asleep. “Happy Halloween,” Narrator says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!!


End file.
